


Birds of a Feather

by foxinsocksinabox



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, Ookiku Furikabutte
Genre: Crossover, Gen, abe and aida are stats friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2013-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-10 05:17:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxinsocksinabox/pseuds/foxinsocksinabox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a moment, he doesn't recognise her.</p>
<p>Then that <i>voice</i> clues him in. "Takaya-kuuuuun, <i>what</i> have you been doing to your poor knee now?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birds of a Feather

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clearlykero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clearlykero/gifts).



"Taka, you have a visitor!"

"Mihashi?" Takaya asks, looking up from his newspaper. Mihashi had mailed earlier to say that he would be dropping by after practice, and frankly, Takaya is looking forward to the company. It's boring, sitting at home all day. There's only so much eating, sleeping and recuperating he can stand at a stretch. 

But Takaya's mother shakes her head. He has time to furrow his eyebrows at her in a ' _who else would be visiting me?'_  look-- which, in hindsight, is pretty sad-- before a brown-haired girl appears in the doorway.

For a moment, he doesn't recognise her.

Then that  _voice_  clues him in. "Takaya-kuuuuun,  _what_ have you been doing to your poor knee now?"

"...  _Riko_?!" He splutters, and makes a horrified face at his mother for springing this on him-- she just laughs, the traitor. Turning back to squint at where Riko is standing, hands propped on her hips and looking mulish, Takaya says the first thing that comes to mind. "It's just a sprain; it'll be better in time for my next game. Your hair's gotten  _long_."

"Second-degree sprain? Good luck with it, stubborn brat. Isn't this the second time you've injured that ankle?" Riko rolls her eyes at him, plopping onto the floor next to Takaya's chair. She doesn't wait for an answer, which is good since he wasn't about to give her one. "Yeah, my hair... It's at kind of a weird length, but I won't be cutting it until winter."

"Winter, huh." Takaya honestly can't remember ever seeing Riko with long hair. True, it's been a couple of years since they last saw each other, but before the Abes moved to Saitama, Aida Kagetora and his daughter were a frequent fixture at family dinners. 

They'd lost touch a little since, even though it was only an hour or so to Kanagawa by train. 

From the door, Takaya's mother stifles a smile. "I'll leave you two to catch up, then. Riko-chan's staying for dinner, Taka. Maybe you should ask Mihashi-kun to stay too, when he comes by."

"Ah-- yeah... maybe," Takaya mutters to his mother's back, while Riko calls out her thanks. When she turns to look at him again, the smile she has on is distinctly off-putting. 

"'Mihashi'... isn't that your pitcher, Takaya-kun? I see he's coming to hold your hand while you recover."

He rolls his eyes. "He's coming by to tell me about the new training regimen that our coach put together. We're going to discuss his own schedule, too."

"I could tell from the video of your match that he needs to gain weight. What is he, 55, 56?"

"52 kilos." Takaya can't quite keep the grumble out of his voice, and predictably, Riko makes an outraged noise. 

"He'll snap like a twig next time there's a breeze blowing across the mound!"

" _I know_!" An aggravated sound claws its way out of his throat. "It's just so frustrating. I'm not allowing him to do all the extra pitching I know he wants to do, I've already upped his caloric intake, I-- I make sure he drinks water, and doesn't overheat, and  _still_  every time we play I swear he drops the weight like it's nothing!"

Takaya runs his hands through his hair, looks at Riko's stunned, intrigued face, and can't stop himself from continuing. 

"I don't know what to do with him. He's so-- so  _afraid_  all the time, and yeah, it's better now but half the time I feel like I'm talking to a  _wall_! Or a leaf, he has that little self-confidence! And it's so hard to get him to say anything on his own, and I try to be  _patient_ , Riko, I do. Mihashi's a good pitcher, and a good kid and-- and he trusts me to  _help_  him, but sometimes really all I want to do is smack some sense into that thick skull!"

The volume of his voice had started to rise by the end of the rant, and Takaya has to take a moment to wrestle himself back into control. A glance at Riko shows that she looks torn between laughing and trying to stay serious, but it's turning into a very lopsided effort. Takaya sighs and rubs a hand over his eyes. 

Riko snorts. Her voice, when she speaks, is dry as dust. "Are you his catcher, Takaya-kun? Or his mother?"

It's not the first time he's been called a nag. He tsks at her, then lets it go on a sigh. "That's rich coming from you. But enough about Mihashi. You'll meet him later, since he'll be here soon. I haven't asked yet how Aida-jiisan is doing."

"Mm. Well, when you do ask, I'll tell you he's fine and says hi, but was too busy to come with me. Take your time."

Reluctantly, a smirk tugs at the corner of Takaya's mouth at the whipcrack response. He'd forgotten how much he missed this: the banter, and how Riko and her father share his fitness obsession. Even if it's a little out of the blue, it is undeniably good to talk to Riko again. 

"... So, I heard Seirin has a pretty strong basketball team these days. You said winter earlier-- you're trying for the Winter Cup? 

Takaya watches how her eyes change, sees the sudden coiled tenseness in her stance. She's excited when she tells him about her team, about the close game they had with Touou High School, and the  _crazily_  good first years they have scattered across the prefectures ( _Miracles_ , really, Takaya wants to scoff, but then he remembers that it's  _Riko_ , and if she says they're good he believes her). It makes Takaya grin too, and he puts aside the ache in his knee to lean over the table with her, diagrams and articles and spreadsheets scattered around them like a fan. 

They talk stats and training methods until the door buzzer rings to signal the arrival of the long-awaited Mihashi. After that it's introductions, lots of talk about baseball (and basketball), dinner, more sports discussion, and if not for his injury, Takaya honestly could not have imagined a better way to spend an evening. 

Watching Mihashi blush and stammer over Riko's close inspection of his hands is just the icing on top of the cake. 

**Author's Note:**

> For kero, who's writing assignments. Just finished marathoning two seasons of oofuri, and askdjfngddasjn I need Abe and Riko to be friendsssssss okay. Hence, this crossover.


End file.
